Back-to-back easy wins (and back to back Adam Wolf sightings!) has to feel good. That said, in my mind, this game was more about Georgia's ineptitude than anything Missouri did. I mean, good for the Tigers, I'm sure their defense had a lot to do with Georgia scoring 14 points in a half and going 29 minutes without making a three, but I have never seen a shooting display as bad as Georgia was for the first 30 minutes. The good news is Missouri will likely get to play them again next Wednesday. Based on tonight, I'd expect the Tigers to be favored in that one.
Missouri wasn't much better, starting 0-14 from three and scoring just 25 points in the first half, but it jumped out to a comfortable lead because it dominated on the glass. At halftime, Missouri led the rebounding battle 32-16. It ended up 50-28. Those 50 rebounds are a season-high, and they included 16 offensive rebounds. Against a team as big as Georgia, that's encouraging. Mitchell Smith got into foul trouble quickly and wasn't much of a factor on offense, but he led the way with 11 rebounds. Any time you can get that out of him, even if he doesn't score, you take it.
Jordan Geist continues to play well, which is nice to see in his final few games. He led all scorers with 18 points. I think the biggest thing for him this season has just been the knowledge that he has the ultimate green light and is not coming out of the game unless he can't stand. For some players, that might lead to recklessness, but I think he plays better when he's comfortable. Wish for his sake he could have found that a bit sooner in his college career. Torrence Watson continues to inspire confidence for the future. He scored 17 points, his third straight game in double-figures. Even though Jeremiah Tilmon picked up four fouls, he played 28 minutes and was a factor when he was on the floor — scored 8 points and had 8 rebounds. You absolutely take that from him.
The only concerns coming out of this game are Javon Pickett's health — Dave Matter tweeted that he was getting treatment on the bench — and Xavier Pinson. Missouri can't afford to lose another body. Pinson looked great for a stretch earlier in conference play, but it looks like he's pressing a bit too hard right now. He forced up six shots in the first 10 minutes and missed them all, and a least a couple of his fouls were frustration fouls. The good news is he got enough playing time to work through his struggles and looked a bit better by the end of the game, albeit in a game that wasn't competitive.
I will be at Mizzou Arena for Senior Day against Ole Miss on Saturday. Who knows, maybe Mizzou can enter the postseason on a three-game winning streak and parlay it into another win or two.
Missouri wasn't much better, starting 0-14 from three and scoring just 25 points in the first half, but it jumped out to a comfortable lead because it dominated on the glass. At halftime, Missouri led the rebounding battle 32-16. It ended up 50-28. Those 50 rebounds are a season-high, and they included 16 offensive rebounds. Against a team as big as Georgia, that's encouraging. Mitchell Smith got into foul trouble quickly and wasn't much of a factor on offense, but he led the way with 11 rebounds. Any time you can get that out of him, even if he doesn't score, you take it.
Jordan Geist continues to play well, which is nice to see in his final few games. He led all scorers with 18 points. I think the biggest thing for him this season has just been the knowledge that he has the ultimate green light and is not coming out of the game unless he can't stand. For some players, that might lead to recklessness, but I think he plays better when he's comfortable. Wish for his sake he could have found that a bit sooner in his college career. Torrence Watson continues to inspire confidence for the future. He scored 17 points, his third straight game in double-figures. Even though Jeremiah Tilmon picked up four fouls, he played 28 minutes and was a factor when he was on the floor — scored 8 points and had 8 rebounds. You absolutely take that from him.
The only concerns coming out of this game are Javon Pickett's health — Dave Matter tweeted that he was getting treatment on the bench — and Xavier Pinson. Missouri can't afford to lose another body. Pinson looked great for a stretch earlier in conference play, but it looks like he's pressing a bit too hard right now. He forced up six shots in the first 10 minutes and missed them all, and a least a couple of his fouls were frustration fouls. The good news is he got enough playing time to work through his struggles and looked a bit better by the end of the game, albeit in a game that wasn't competitive.
I will be at Mizzou Arena for Senior Day against Ole Miss on Saturday. Who knows, maybe Mizzou can enter the postseason on a three-game winning streak and parlay it into another win or two.
